NFL Team Draft Needs: NFC East

The draft is scheduled to go from April 23-25. The first round will go off on Thursday at 8pmET, while rounds 2-3 will take place on Friday, April 24 at 7pmET. The draft will end on Saturday, April 25 with rounds 4-7.

The draft was originally supposed to be held in Las Vegas, but that is off due to the effects of COVID-19. That means NFL general managers will have to rely mainly on scouting from the college football season and the NFL Combine instead of working out players individually. But these are difficult times so teams will need to adjust to the circumstances. We'll take a look at the NFL Draft over the next couple of weeks, starting with the needs of each NFL team, adjusted through NFL free agency. For handicappers out there, we are going to keep you informed about all the moves made before the draft, the top picks each team has and what their Super Bowl odds are. Let's take a look at the NFC East, which should be led by Dallas and Philadelphia.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys:

2019: 8-8

Super Bowl Odds (via Vegas Insider): 20-1

First pick: No. 17

Key Free Agent pickups and trades: DT Gerald McCoy (Panthers), S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (Bears), LB Aldon Smith (Raiders), DT Dontari Poe (Panthers).

Key Losses: WR Randall Cobb (Texans), TE Jason Witten (Raiders), OT Cameron Fleming (Giants), OG Xavier Su'ra Filo (Bengals), C Travis Frederick (retired), DE Robert Quinn (Bears), DT Maliek Collins (Raiders), CB Byron Jones (Dolphins), S Jeff Heath (Raiders).

Needs: CB, S, Edge, TE, C/G, WR

Outlook:

This was a very busy off-season for Dallas. The biggest moves were made in-house to re-sign WR Amari Cooper to a five-year deal and put the franchise tag on QB Dak Prescott. But they also had several big losses, including losing center Travis Frederick to retirement. Frederick, who felt he wasn't playing up to his Pro Bowl standard in 2019, leaves a gaping hole. In 2018, the Frederick missed the season due to Guillain-Barre syndrome, the Cowboys gave up 56.0 sacks. It's hard to imagine them just drafting a player in the first round and plugging him in. They haven't addressed that yet in free agency, but there are still cuts to come so they can't be finished. The only other option right now is 29-year old veteran Joe Looney.

Dallas will need a slot receiver now that Randall Cobb is off to Houston and tight end Jason Witten to the Raiders. They didn't address that in free agency either. Taking a flyer on a receiver or tight end at 17 is possible, though this is such a deep draft for receivers. This is not a great draft for tight ends but Dallas could find a solid one in the middle rounds.

Offensively, Dallas ranked second in passing yards per game (297ypg), first in yards per game (432ypg), fifth in rushing (134.5ypg) and 6th in points per game (27ppg). They didn't go 8-8 because they couldn't move the ball. Defensively, they weren't bad statistically, but they struggled forcing turnovers (30th in INT/game) and ranked 19th in sacks per game with 2.44. Finding some help getting to the quarterback is a must in this draft.

In free agency, they did sign 32-year old DT Gerald McCoy (5.0 sacks), who had a solid season with Carolina last year, but is not in his prime anymore. They also added another Carolina Panther in DT Dontari Poe (6-3, 346) to help stuff the run. Dallas also decided to take a chance on OLB Aldon Smith, who has not played since 2015 due to off-the-field issues. At 30, assuming he can get back on the field, it's not likely that he'll have the same explosiveness he had in 2012 when he recorded 19.5 sacks. Robert Quinn is the team's best pass rusher after recorded a career-high 11.5 sacks last season. However, he was lost in free agency to the Bears and that's a big loss.

One of the potential pass rushers that could be available at 17 is K'Lavon Chaisson from LSU or Yetur Gross-Matos from Penn State.

At cornerback, the Cowboys need to replace Byron Jones, who left in free agency. They need some help at corner and safety with some playmakers considering they produced just seven interceptions last season. They did sign veteran Ha Ha Clinton Dix, who is just 27 despite playing with three teams in the last two seasons.

New York Giants

2019: 4-12

Super Bowl Odds (via Vegas Insider): 66-1

First pick: 4

Key Free Agent pickups and trades: LB Blake Martinez (Packers), CB James Bradberry (Panthers), RB Dion Lewis (Titans), OT Cameron Fleming (Cowboys), QB Colt McCoy (Washington), LB Kyle Fackrell (Packers), DB Nate Ebner (Patriots).

Key Losses: QB Eli Manning (retired), WR Cody Latimer (Redskins), OT Mike Remmers (Chiefs), CB Antonio Hamilton (Chiefs).

Needs: OT, LB, Edge, CB, WR, S

Outlook:

This is an organization that hopes to continue to rebuild the franchise under QB Daniel Jones. Eli Manning retired at the right time. He didn't want to hold on as a backup, because his skills have diminished to the point to that's what he was. With Jones now at the helm, he does have one of the best running backs in the game in Saquon Barkley and pretty good receivers in Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard. They did Dion Lewis, one of the best receiving running backs in the game. He caught just 25 passes for 164 yards with the Titans last season, after catching 59 for 400 the year before.

It starts with the offensive line. The Giants' tackle situation was awful last season. Losing Mike Remmers to the Chiefs wasn't a bad thing. They still have Nate Solder at the moment, but he's not worth the four-year, $62 million salary. There really isn't an offensive tackle worth taking at No. 4, so they could trade down.

They desperately need an offensive tackle but could take one like Ezra Cleveland from Boise State or Lucas Niang from TCU in the early second round. But with their first pick, they probably won't get a chance to draft Chase Young, a game-changing Edge rusher. If Isaiah Simmons from Clemson is there at four, that's a no-brainer. Simmons runs a 4.38, is 6-4, can line up at inside linebacker, outside linebacker, or safety. He's a stud and would be a great pickup at four.

The pass defense was a mess last year. They allowed 7.6 yards per pass attempt, which ranked 29th last season. Jabrill Peppers is a beast at safety, but they might lose Antoine Bethea as a free agent. They cut CB Janoris Jenkins in December and brought in James Bradberry, who started 15 games for the Panthers last season. He's a big corner at 6-1, 212 and was one of the best on the market. He immediately gives the secondary some experience and size.

At linebacker, Blake Martinez is a tackling machine from Green Bay, who could replace ILB David Mayo, who is a free agent. They could use some help replacing Alec Ogletree, who has been ineffective.

Philadelphia Eagles:

2019: 9-7

Super Bowl Odds (via Vegas Insider): 16-1

First pick: No. 21

Key Free Agent pickups and trades: CB Darius Slay (Trade Lions), CB Nickell Robey-Coleman (Rams), SS Will Parks (Broncos), NT Javon Hargrave (Steelers), OLB Jatavis Brown (Chargers).

Key Losses: RB Jordan Howard (Dolphins), DT Timmy Jernigan (Texans), OLB Kamu Grguier-Hill (Dolphins), CB Ronald Darby (Redskins), S Malcolm Jenkins (Saints).

Needs: WR, LB, CB, S, Edge

Outlook:

The Eagles made a big splash in the offseason by trading for Darius Slay, one of the top corners in the NFC. However, Slay at 29, is coming off his worst season as a starter with the Lions. Philadelphia gave up a third and a fifth-rounder to get Slay, who has 19 picks in his career. At least gives the team stability as they had eight different cornerbacks start last season. In their playoff loss to the Seahawks, rookie WR DK Metcalf tore up the Eagles' secondary for 160 receiving yards.

At safety, Philadelphia lost Malcolm Jenkins back to his old team the Saints. FS Rodney McLeod was re-signed to a one-year deal. Will Parks is a potential starter, who comes over from Denver after starting seven games and has been a part-time starter in his four seasons. They also added an experienced nickel corner in 5-8 Nickell Robey-Coleman from the Rams.

There are other defensive issues, but let's be honest, when you looked at the Eagles in 2019, what stood out? Dropped passes. Carson Wentz somehow threw for over 4,000 yards without having any receiver reach 500 yards. Injuries were part of the problem as Alshon Jeffery missed seven games due to injuries. Former college quarterback Greg Ward showed the most potential of all their young receivers. JJ Arcega-Whiteside was their second-round pick last season and was a bust.

This is a good year for needing a wide receiver. At 21, the top three receivers should be gone in Ruggs, Jeudy and Lamb, but a guy like Justin Jefferson from LSU would be a strong selection there. They could also go Edge rusher with a guy like Yetur Gross-Matos from Penn State.

Washington Redskins

2019: 3-13

Super Bowl Odds (via Vegas Insider): 100-1

First pick: No. 2

Key Free Agent pickups and trades: CB Kendall Fuller (Chiefs), QB Kyle Allen (trade-Eagles), OG Wes Schweitzer (Falcons), WR Cody Latimer (Giants), LB Kevin Pierre-Louis (Bears), LB Thomas Davis (Chargers), FS Sean Davis (Steelers), CB Ronald Darby (Eagles).

Key Losses: QB Case Keenum (Browns), QB Colt McCoy (Giants), TE Vernon Davis (retired), OG Ereck Flowers (Dolphins), CB Quinton Dunbar (Seahawks), CB Josh Norman (Bills).

Needs: Edge, OT, TE, G, WR, RB

Outlook:

The Ron Rivera era has begun in Washington after Jay Gruden's squad went 3-13 last season. There are so many issues with this club, they won't be able to turn it around in one season. It starts at quarterback, where Washington's signal-callers last season combined for 16.6 points per game (32nd), 176 passing yards (32nd), 29.9 passing attempts (28th) and 275 total yards per game (31st). Last year's first-round pick Dwayne Haskins showed some flashes, completing 58.6% of his passes for 1,365 yards with 7 TDs and 7 INTs. He took over late in the season when Case Keenum couldn't get the job done.

But like many new coaches, they are comfortable with using their own players. Rivera traded for Kyle Allen, his starting quarterback last year for part of the season with Cam Newton injured. Allen, in his second season, completed 62% of his passes for 3,322 yards with 17 TDs, but also had 16 picks (80 QB rate). If Haskins can't get the job done, they could at least move to Allen, who has experience. He also bought in former Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis, at 37, who had 112 tackles with the Chargers last season.

Washington needs help at offensive tackle, wide receiver, tight end and even running back. At number two, the obvious move is drafting Chase Young, the premier pass rusher out there. Or, they could trade down and get more talent. They actually had some defensive talent, ranking 10th with 2.9 sacks per game. But overall, they allowed 27 points per game (27th), 385 yards per game (27th), and 146 rushing yards per game (31st).

At offensive tackle, the Skins never got on the same page with star Trent Williams, so there is a hole at left tackle. They also lost OG/T Ereck Flowers in free agency. They went with Donald Penn last season, but he was 36 and just a band-aid. It's a bit shocking that they haven't signed a veteran free agent as of April 7. They did sign guard Wes Schweitzer, who will likely start at left guard. Drafting a tackle and a guard is a must for the Skins.

The secondary adds two corners in Ronald Darby from the Eagles and Kendall Fuller from the Chiefs. Maybe both players needed a change of scenery, because neither team had great success against the pass.

Now that Vernon Davis has retired, Washington could use some help at tight end. Jordan Reed has played in just 65 games in seven seasons, mainly due to concussion issues.